Another Time
by JustForOneMoment
Summary: "Where is Harry Potter?" The question weighted heavily in his chest and tasted bitter in his mouth, he ignored the astonished look the old wizard threw his way and focused on calming his frantically beating heart. "He's dead, isn't he?" Dimensiontravel DH
1. Prologue

**Hello guys :3  
****My second fic here! Yay!**

**This is gonna be slash; DM/HP – no like, no read, ok?**

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**A n o t h e r T i m e**

**Prologue**

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The sky was the first thing he saw after he awoke; a light blue, the colour of a fresh autumn morning in Great Britain. It was quite beautiful; there were trees all around, the crowns ruffled now and then by a gust of wind, a few rays of pale sunlight reaching into the clearing. The still dew covered grass was pleasantly cool against his skin.

But the lovely scenery stood in stark contrast to state the boy was in. His skin was burning hot, a sheen of sweat covering his more then pale form. Very dirty and splattered with blood, his clothes ripped and unable to move more then an inch, he made a very pitiful sight. Were the situation any different he would object greatly to being described in such an undignified way, not that he would have let anyone see him in a vulnerable position like this one, but as things were now he could not even bring himself to care.

Draco Malfoy had never thought he would once find himself in this situation. He only wanted it to stop; the ache of his muscles and bones, the dizziness and the sickness that seemed to strengthen every time he so much as shifted. His head was pounding, becoming worse with every second and slowly he gathered the strength to raise his hand to his brow, hoping his finger's cool touch would ease the pain in his temple.

He stayed like that for a few seconds and had just opened his mouth to release a relieved sigh when another burst hot white pain hit him, sharper and more vicious then he had ever felt before.

A flash of white...

**** ****_A door opened. He knew it; the one of his own room.  
Though he did not recognise the man entering.  
And slowly the door closed again... _******  
**

Draco did not immediately place what he saw. But there certainly was something... stirring... in the back of his mind...

**** **"_**Now be a nice boy and do as I say"  
**__**An arm pulling, dragging him closer. Closer then he wanted to be... **_****  
**

_'A memory...'  
_

_**** **_"_**It's alright, you don't have to cry... every big boy does this..."  
**__**Hands. Touching... Hurting...  
**__**His mama had told him not to let anyone touch him there...  
**__**He did not want him there... **__****  
**_

_'No, this never happened! Not like that...  
__Sev, came! I know he did. I remember...'  
_

Draco had turned onto his side, curling slightly into himself and ignoring his protesting muscles. Fingers tangled in his hair, tugging at it, trying to hold onto something. Eyes shut tightly in a desperate attempt to shut out those pictures.

**** **"_**You are a big boy, aren't you?"**_

_**A bitten tongue, a choked scream.  
**__**Pain, so much pain...  
**__**Hurting... tearing... bleeding...**_

_**The salty taste of tears...  
**__**The coppery one of blood... **_****  
**

He pushed himself up onto his elbows for a moment, vomited, before sinking down again only inches away. He lay curled up into himself like a terrified child, shaking violently and trying without success to keep tears behind closed eyes and sobs behind closed lips.

**** **"_**Such a shame. I really loved... playing with you..."**_

_**A disturbing grin, distorted and sick...  
**__**The man, blurry from tears, advancing onto him...**_

_**Pain again... but this time short, followed by a tingling warm feeling...  
**__**and then... darkness... **_****  
**

And the tears won.

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**So, what do you say?**

**Review, please?**

**I'll try to update every Sunday/Monday – if I don't manage that it will be every second week.**

**Bye :3**


	2. Chapter I: Confusing Awakening

**Hello again :3**

**This is gonna be slash; DM/HP – no like, no read, ok?**

**Plot = mine; nothing else**

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**Another Time**

**Chapter I: Confusing Awakening**

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When Draco awoke again he still had a headache but it had reduced to a dull throbbing. The sun had continued her walk and now painted the world in the orange light of a late afternoon. He slowly sat up and contemplated the latest happenings. What had happened? What was the last thing he could remember before waking up here for the first time?

_'The final battle...  
__Fighting...  
__All those people... dead...'_

_**** Draco stumbled across the field, trying to at least slow the bleeding of one of his more severe wounds,  
not dwelling on the possibility of his friends being part of the nameless masses that he saw motionless on the grass,  
and arrived in the clearing almost a little late.  
**__**There he stood... panting but proud and ready to face Voldemort... ****_

_'Potter...'_

_**** The fight did not take long. Voldemort's frail body shook with exertion and soon even his most advanced spells and curses could not make up for that.  
**__**Harry saw the opening and send his final curse, and Voldemort hoping to at least take him with him countered it with one of his own 'Avada Kedavra'.  
**__**And then... everything faded into white... ****_

_'Come to think about it this is the same clearing...  
__They would not have just left me here, I am sure.  
And there is nothing here that indicates that a fight, never mind the greatest battle of Hogwarts, took place here not too long ago.  
__It just does not add up.  
__It was that strange light probably. Now I only need to find out what exactly it did...'_

The blonde carefully stood up, lest the dizziness should return, before heading into the direction he expected to find Hogwarts in. The forest he passed through strengthened his suspicion but as he finally saw the school all doubts vanished. It was dark already but the difference was not something you could see. This was not Hogwarts, not the one he knew; it had a completely different feel to it.

_'Just what the hell happened?  
__Could it be a trap? No it does not feel dangerous... just different...  
__But of course it could not hurt to be cautious.'_

A wordless spell and Draco's usually stunning features vanished under a mask. Honey brown hair, a little bit shorter then his own, fell over dark blue eyes and curled in his neck. He looked more then ordinary compared to his usual looks - but that was the aim, was it not? This glamour was a strong one but it could not take care of his dirty and bloodied appearance. A simple _reparo _though let the ripped clothes mend themselves.

Now he was ready to face the mystery that lay before him.

~:+:~

Albus Dumbledoor was pacing again. Something was... well, not exactly wrong, just unusual and he was uncertain as to how to approach the issue. It had been far into the Forbidden Forest at first, staying there for such a long time that Albus had thought it might just stay there completely, nothing to spend another thought on. Gradually, it was very powerful but a lot of the beasts in the forest had strong magic.

The problem was that this particular object was _not_ a beast; the magical signature was that of a witch or wizard. And as they then moved into the exact direction of his beloved school with an accuracy that made it hard to believe they had not been there once before, he began to worry.

They were close now, remaining at the border of the forest for a moment longer, then moving across the lands to the front door.

The headmaster was on his way to the entrance without another thought; should this person be a thread to the students he would make sure to stop them before they even got the chance to do anything.

He stood a little ways into the entrance hall, the main doors had just opened to let in the stranger and now Albus was waiting to be noticed and the reaction that would follow.  
The sight that greeted him was certainly not one he had been expecting:  
Standing before him was a boy, not overly tall or masculine and the same age as the oldest of his students, clutching tightly at a thin silver chain around his neck in insecurity.

He was powerful, yes, but did obviously not mean any harm.

What really came to be a surprise to the all-knowing old man was the reaction the young man had to his presence.  
He stopped, stared, then a look of desperation, hope and pain crossed his face.

"Professor Dumbledoor... You're here...? But... I don't understand... How...?"

Albus regarded him with his twinkling blue eyes, a calm smile gracing his lips.  
As he turned to the direction of his office and slowly began walking he was sure the other followed...

"Would you care for a lemon drop, my boy?  
You must know there is a whole bowl of them in my office as I find them to be very enjoyable at all times of the day.  
And quite calming they are, too – almost as good as a nice cup of tea.  
If you should prefer one of those to the delicious sweets, I am sure we can find some in my office, too...  
What works best for me in such stressful situations you seem to be currently in is a nice pair of thick wool socks. I especially love the purple ones...  
And I'm sure Dobby would not mind getting you a pair, too..."

…

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**So, what do you say?**

**Review, please?**

**I'll try to update every Sunday/Monday – if I don't manage that it will be every second week.**

**Bye bye :3**


	3. Chapter II: Clarity

**Hello again!**

**Here is the next chapter :3**

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**Another Time**

**Chapter 2: Clarity**

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Though it had truthfully been more than ridiculous, Dumbledoor's ranting had helped Draco a great deal. And with the first shock slowly passing he was finally able to think clearly once more. Now, after a (forced) cup of tea and several lemon drops on Dumbledoor's side, they had arrived at the point the questioning would begin.

A shaky breath, hand again on the chain, then:  
"What... What year is it?"

Albus looked a moment longer at the troubled boy in front of him that had jet to look up from his tea cup before answering.  
But if anything the boy across from him looked even worse now.  
"Something wrong, my boy?"  
"I... just don't understand! How can it be the same and still so different?"

The headmaster leaned forward in his seat, elbows on the desk and head resting on folded hands. "Would you care to elaborate?" And after a few minutes of consideration Draco did as asked. He told the bearded man before him of the situation he remembered from before and of the one he found himself in soon after. Of course, being a Slytherin at heart, he did not trust these circumstances enough to reveal every single detail.  
He talked about the great battle of Hogwarts, the last fight against Voldemort, the many deaths and wounded; then about waking in an untouched clearing, his confusion and his decision of going to the school for answers.

Contemplating the part of himself being found walking around being very much alive while he was supposedly dead, Albus combined the facts: "You thought you had travelled back in time, did you not? That was the reason you asked for the date." After a silent, hesitating nod from the brown haired boy he went on. "From your reaction I gather that that was not the case. There is no denying that you did in fact leave your original... dimension, for a lack of a better word. One has to keep in mind though that this statement may hold more truth then one would think at first."

"What do you mean by that, sir?"

"There are some essays written on the theory of dimension travel and one in particular by Timothy Weraturas, who is famous for his works concerning time travel, which is by the way very similar to this kind of travel, is extremely enlightening. I should do some in depth research, it seems. For now we should make a note of all differences and parallels."

The tea cups were filled again with freshly brewed tea, Dumbledoor grabbing some more of his beloved lemon drops. "The castle and the grounds are the same, are they not?"  
Another nod from the brunet. "Then I guess the first point will be the teachers and students." The old professor drew up a list with a wave of his wand. "Please look it over and tell me what is not the same to you."

It took a few minutes but after he finished he raised his eyes to Dumbledoor's for the first time since their encounter in the entrance hall and spoke in a kind of hoarse voice. "Well, I can't be completely sure with the younger years, but I know that some are here that I have never heard of before and some others are missing. It aren't that many but it's still noticeable." And for some seconds the office was again filled with silence.

"Where is Harry Potter?"

The simple question weighted heavily in his chest and tasted so very bitter in his mouth, he ignored the astonished look the old wizard threw his way and focused on calming his frantically beating heart. "When you told me of the war against Voldemort, I simply assumed young Harry had not had the strength to take him with him on the Halloween-attack. Never had I dreamed-"

"He's dead, isn't he?"

Draco's eyes were slightly blurry and a heavy weight seemed to have settled in his stomach. His hands, one having moved from the cup to the silver chain again, were tense, fingers clenched tightly, knuckles turning white as he tried to regain control.

Albus regarded the pained boy with soft eyes.

"I'm sorry..."

~:+:~

"My boy, I know this whole ordeal must have been very hard for you and quite painful as well, I imagine. But the more information we gather, the easier it will be to find a solution and we may even be able to find a way for you to return."

Draco stayed silent, eyes lowered and looking kind of worn.  
And Dumbledoor understood. Quietly he got up, moved around his desk before addressing the boy. "Come on, you must be tired. I'll show you to your room."  
They walked a little while before stopping in front of a portrait of a content griffon half hidden behind some plants. The rooms were obviously meant to be for teachers of visitors, not students, as the elaborate furnishing showed.

Draco only walked in farther and let himself drop backwards onto the dark blue comforter of the wide bed. Albus, sensing his need to be alone, was about to grand him his wish and leave but turned around in the doorway.  
"I'm sorry, my boy. It seems I forgot the most important thing, your name. How very rude of me. Of course, if you would be more comfortable not telling your real name, I would accept that as well." And for a moment it was quiet again.

"How about... Drake LeFay..."

~:+:~

The headmaster had left a while ago and Draco now finally had the time to think... though he was not exactly sure if he should be glad or frustrated.  
His talk with Dumbledoor had been rather upsetting; the big differences concerning him had been the early deaths of Harry Potter and himself - as he had seen in his 'memory'.

Shortly after he had managed to wrap his mind around those facts the headmaster had proceeded to explaining the changes in the faculty. Apparently his father had taken over the Defence position after his only son's death, while the Potters due to the same reason took over Transfiguration and Muggle-studies.

Harry Potter...  
He had always seemed invincible, like no one could ever harm him.  
But here he was dead and despite what everyone thought Draco _did_ care. He always had.  
In the beginning he had written it of to the fact that he had wanted them to be friends which he was denied. But then, gradually he had begun to realize that it was not like that.  
It was stronger, so much stronger...

Now that he thought about it, it seemed he had been in love with the Boy-who-lived as long as he could remember. As he realized it in his sixth year he had retreated into himself, had grown quiet and reserved around the Golden Trio. He had tried with all his might to avoid the green-eyed boy – naturally he had not been as successful at it as he would have liked.

And then one night after Harry, thinking he was planning something, had cornered him in the Room Of Requirements he had broken down.  
All the pent up frustration over his own heart had become too much and had caused him in his fury to spill his most protected secret.

Thinking of that moment and the once that followed, Draco's eyes soon got heavier until they closed completely and the now blue-eyed boy surrendered to sleep and the dreams it brought to him.

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**So? What do you think?**

**Please, please review! Even if it is just one single word!**

**I would really appreciate it.**


	4. Chapter III: Starting Again

**Hello again!**

**Here is chapter three for you!**

**Enjoy :3**

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**Chapter 3: **

**Starting Again**

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For days Draco stayed in his rooms, lying in bed, sometimes moving to look unseeingly out the window. He sat, mourning and remembering... crying...  
He drifted in and out of sleep but it was far from restful; too troubled to sleep, too troubled to eat or even move. He made a truly pitiful sight:  
He had gotten thin, frail, his eyes, red from crying, were surrounded by deep purple shadows and as he lay there so lifeless he looked like a broken porcelain doll.

The insignificant memories were the hardest and most painful ones.  
They were of course all of the same person: Harry Potter.

_**** Harry looked questioningly at him as he laughed. His upper lip was covered in marmalade from breakfast.  
"What?", he asked in his innocent tone.  
**__**He really had no idea just how good he looked at that moment... ****_

_**** He had this frustrated look again, the one he got every time he so much as thought about potions, the respective teacher or the tons of homework.  
**__**He ruffled his hair, sighed and then faced his book again. ****_

_**** "Don't leave..." ****_

Draco was crying again.  
It hurt so much to know that he would never see him again.  
Not if he stayed here and even if he returned it was not even sure if Harry survived the last battle...  
No, he could not think that way...

~:+:~

Draco had lost track of time when a knock sounded on the door.  
"Mr. LeFay? I'm sorry to bother you but may I enter?"  
Receiving no answer Dumbledoor asked the portrait to open for him and stepped in. He found the boy buried under a mount of blankets on the bed and by the looks of the untouched room he guessed that he had jet to leave this position.

Albus had a grave look on his face as he spoke, he could imagine what it was like to loose an important person. "I'm sorry, my boy. Why don't you join us in the Great Hall for breakfast; you must be hungry. And you won't have to worry about prying eyes: It's Sunday and apart from a few exceptions the students won't arrive for another hour or two – if they come at all, that is."

Draco still stayed silent. But with his persuasive power the headmaster had him heading for a shower within ten minutes and half an hour later Albus was walking down to the Great Hall followed by a reluctant Draco.

When they opened the doors the Dumbledoor made his way to his very own seat while Draco, without thinking, purely by the force of habit, sat on his usual spot at the Slytherin table which caused a few raised eyebrows from the teacher's table.  
The students that were scattered at the tables were few, all third-year or younger and all of them were quite curious of the new boy.

Said boy was still unsure of why he had listened to the old coot. Now he sat there, head resting on his hands and starring into nothing. He was not hungry, he had not been since he had arrived here. And he was just so tired, he wanted to sleep, to forget.  
But most of all he wanted the life that had taken a turn for the worst to end...

He did not know how much time had passed but he was soon forced out of his thoughts as a familiar voice addressed him. He looked up to see the face of a dark skinned, handsome boy right in front of him. The face of one of his best friends...

_Blaise..._

"I asked who you think you are to sit here. This is our place."  
This caused a moment of confusion to bloom in Draco before he remembered that he was not at home any more. His eyes travelled a bit; Pansy, Theo, Crabbe and Goyle all stood behind Blaise. Needless to say that none of them looked too happy.

It was then that Draco took notice of all the people watching the development of the situation. But before there was anything to see, professor Snape had took matters into his own hands. "He's a new student; I'm sure he did not know any better. Be nice, according to the headmaster he already has enough on his shoulders as it is – though he won't tell us what exactly that is..." And Snape's famous glare made it's appearance.

A few tense moments passed before the dark man took his leave; then they all sat down around him.  
It felt strange being surrounded by his friends, jet being ignored completely.  
"So, what's your name?", Pansy asked still a bit coldly.  
"Um... I'm Drake. Drake LeFay."  
It seemed that his friends had had a good morning as they actually send smiles his way.

~:+:~

It had been a little over a week since his arrival.  
The student's attention had yet to waver from him; he was apparently the most interesting thing in school. They were always whispering and watching him as though they expected him to do something suddenly of as if they could figure him out just like that.  
Even the teachers were keeping an eye out for him, in worry most likely.  
Draco did not like to admit it but he looked terrible; eyes rimmed red from the crying he did at night, noticeable purple bags under them caused by lack of sleep, his body was now thin and weak. He did not even care enough to put up another glamour.  
And every night the boy would sit outside watching the forest with a strange sort of hope and a lot of despair and sadness. Mourning.

Draco was tired; he had gotten his time table this morning and had just sat through History of Magic, which had been taken over by McGonagall, and a rather ridiculous double lesson of Charms. He had spent all his energy and he was actually hurting all over, his wounds from the battle, though they had begun healing, were now aching, some having reopened.

Not feeling hungry he passed right by Great Hall where lunch was about to begin and headed to the main entrance. He sat down at the foot of the stairs and rested his head on his knees while still keeping his eyes on the forest a little ways of. He could not help but hope that the boy-who-lived would emerge from it, spotting some scratches and that very endearing expression...

_**** "I'm sorry... I'm so late... I..."  
**__**He came to a halt in front of him, flushed, panting and scratching the back of his head; all the while wearing that lovely look of embarrassment again...  
**__**He was one of the few that got to see the uncertainty in their hero and he loved it... ****_

Lost in memories the now brunet boy did neither notice his hand grasping the necklace once again nor the tears that soon followed.

_**** "Please, take it..." ****_

He was shaking with the cold that had slowly crept into his bones over time and the effort to keep his sobs silent.

_**** "...I promise..." ****_

Draco did not know how long he stayed like that but it the sun was quite low now; it would be dark soon.  
His tears had stopped but now the cold was biting at their still wet tracks.  
He sat up slowly and looked down on himself. His left sleeve was red; an injury on him arm had started bleeding again.

_**** "Draco! Can you hear me..?" ****_

It looked just like that one time...

_**** "Merlin... so much blood, and your arm... What happened?" ****_

_**** "Listen, I need to get you to the Hospital Wing, ok? I'm sorry if I hurt you but we can't waste any more time..." ****_

_**** The blood rushing in his ears made it hard to hear, he could only just make out the words but the voice stayed unrecognised. His eyes blurry from blood-loss and fatigue, he was not able to make out his rescuers face either. ****_

_**** He woke up to a white ceiling, the one of the infirmary, his arm warped tightly and thickly, layered with protection charms lest anything should harm it any more.**__**Beside him, sleeping in a chair, head bedded on his bed none other then Harry Potter lay... ****_

"Mr. LeFay?"

Draco was ripped from his thoughts by a familiar voice, startled he looked up. Dumbledoor though wearing cheerful purple robes seemed to be anything but that; his blue eyes did not hold their usual sparkle and he looked quite gravely at the boy as he sat down beside him.  
"I'm worried about you, my boy... You have neither eaten nor slept; and you've begun to build a wall around yourself. I know it must be hard on you but please try at least..."

Draco did not answer and seemed to have returned to forest-watching.  
"Your wounds are getting worse. How about we pay a visit to Mme Pomfrey?"  
The brunet continued to ignore the headmaster beside him, at least until then...  
"I could show you to his grave if you want me to, you know? Of course I would have to insist that you first see our medi-witch... and that you at least try living a little healthier...  
I'm sure he would not want you do do this to yourself..."

Albus knew very well what impact those words would have; it was not exactly fair but as long as it would help it would be a small price to pay.  
He was certain his plan would be successful and he was only proven right as his newest student followed him to the infirmary.

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**So this was the next chapter  
****What do you think?**

**Now, please, PLEASE review for me.  
****Pretty please?**

**Oh and it is rather probable that there will not be an update next week as I am going ****to a My Chemical Romance concert! *squeal*  
****And since it started snowing today I do not know if I can continue avoiding a cold.  
****And there are some very hard test coming up in school; advanced maths, advanced german, french, religion... and the list goes on and on  
****I could dry out of frustration every time I think about it... TT_TT**


	5. Chapter IV: Infirmary

**Hey, I'm back!  
****I'm sorry for the late update but I did not have the time.  
So this on is a bit longer. Enjoy!**

**And my motivation is kind of fleeting...  
****If you could review, please, so I could know if you actually like the story...**

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**Another Time**

**Chapter 4:**

Infirmary

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"By Merlin, Albus! What happened to this poor boy?"

Having arrived at the infirmary Draco was instantly laid down and given several potions.  
Some nurturing potions, pain relievers and many more before the final one, a dreamless-sleep potion.

Only then Mme Pomfrey began her in detail diagnosis which lead to this reaction.  
Apparently she had not expected to ever treat a boy this age with injuries a war-worn soldier would have. Wounds caused by the darkest of curses; cutting, severing, burning and acidic curses – torture had obviously been the main aim.

But that was not all the young man's body was covered in scars that told similar stories; a deep round one that seemed to have been a stabbing wound by his shoulder, a great number of the thinnest lines crossed his chest and a faded jagged scar, that had possibly been even worse sometime before, covered the inside of his left underarm.

Even though Poppy had seen many different injuries over her years as a healer, she had never seen a boy hurt to this degree. She was fighting with her tears, some from sadness, some from her anger at whoever could be responsible for this.

"I can heal him, of course. But it won't be easy and he certainly won't be pleased. Partly it will be very painful and he will be more then weak after it; it will drain most of his magic, which means he won't be able to use it for a while afterwards..."

"He is wearing a glamour."

"I do not see how that could be-" "You, as well as most of the teachers, were told the basics of the special 'situation' this Mr. LeFay is in. He's not from here but from a entirely different dimension. It could very well be that a person is currently present twice; or maybe he is someone we know long to be dead or not even born yet...  
The possible consequences are unpredictable."

Slowly realisation seemed to drawn on Mme Pomfrey.  
"The fact that he _is_ still wearing a glamour could mean that there is a certain risk in revealing his real identity..."

"But Albus, if we don't do something those wounds could very well affect him all his life. I think taking the risk would be worth it..."  
"I think I will have to agree with you, Poppy..."

~:+:~

Poppy Pomfrey leaned on her patient's bed, sweating, breathing hard and worn out.  
Draco had curled into a foetal position as soon as the healer had let him; he was shaking terribly and now and again a dry sob escaped him.  
It did not take too long before the waves of pain dissipated and he surprisingly felt better then he had since he had woken in the clearing.

Tenderly he sat up and was instantly worn out from the little gesture; he steadied himself by leaning on his arm and breathed heavily.  
Something was off.  
He could not quite place it at the moment but it was definitely there...

Sluggishly he raised one hand to brush his white blond bangs out of his eyes.  
_'Wait, white blond...?'  
_Shocked he straightened up, ignoring the tingle of pain that crawled along his spine and pulled some of the long fair hair over his shoulder to look at it.

_'Blond; Light blond. But how can it be...  
__I was so careful... It should not have lifted...'_

With one of the famous Malfoy glares firmly in place he turned to Dumbledoor.  
Now, even the slowest could have figured out who he really was, but Draco did not care any more; he was way too angry to care now...

"You! How dare you! I trusted you and you just betray me like this?"  
Draco raged on for some minutes until the headmaster cut in.  
"Please, calm down, my boy. You must still be tired.  
I only did what I thought was best for you..."

The blond, still fuming, trying to regain control of himself by pressing his teeth together so hard that one could see the muscles working in his jaw.  
He only just repressed a non too polite response of 'fuck you' before he stormed out of the hospital wing and to his rooms.  
Once there he fell onto his bed completely worn out from his run and curled into himself.  
A few tears were shed out of frustration over his life that got worse as time passed.

_'It isn't fair. Why does all this have to happen to me...?'_

~:+:~

Poppy Pomfrey's main concern had always been her patient's well-being no matter the circumstances and so she had not faltered in her doings as the glamour flickered and finally broke.  
Now however, as her undivided attention and complete concentration was no longer required, she let her mind catch up on the revelations that had been made not long ago.

She had sunken onto one of the infirmary beds in her exhaustion the healing procedure had caused and swiped with her shaky hand at her slightly damp brow.  
Though half-lidded, her eyes had yet to stray from the bed, that minutes before had still been occupied by a boy that now dominated her thoughts.

"Albus, that hair...", she muttered weakly to her companion and it was clear to him that she had not yet fully grasped the happenings of this evening.

"I know, Poppy, I know...", he replied in a soothing voice and laid a hand on her shoulder.  
Only then did the healer's gaze waver and turn to the other who, through the hazy hue of tears, was nothing more than a blurry brightness of colours.  
The cheerful robes were now more unfitting than ever before and in that moment the younger woman could not find the strength to overlook that fact and so watery blue eyes were averted again, coming to rest on her very own hands clenched tightly in her lap and shaking slightly.

"The hair, Albus...", she whimpered again, "And those eyes... Just like..."  
A hiccup cut her of and the first tears fell onto the hands that were now deeply clenched in the fabrics of her skirts.

"Just like him, Albus... Like _him_..."  
Sobs shook her frame and her breathing became irregular and cut off as comprehension set in, followed by unmistakeable despair.

The headmaster knew how hard this was on her; years ago, a little over a decade even, an unfortunate night shook them all.  
Malfoy-manor harboured many valuable things and just as many protection-spells and other safety measurements and yet that night the wealthy family lost their most precious treasure...

He had seen the beautiful, gentle and most of all loving Narcissa Malfoy with pale and sunken in skin, limp, lacklustre hair and swollen red eyes that showed nothing of her previous buoyancy. For days on end the mother had fallen into hysterics at the mere thought of her bay boy, so that they had been forced to give her a mild sedative.  
Albus was not sure if he preferred her sitting still all day and starring with dull, unseeing eyes into the nothingness in front of her over her hysteric whimpers for her son...

He had seen the strong, elegant and proud Lucius Malfoy as his cold façade cracked and tears found their way into his eyes, his face showing painfully clear the signs of sleep deprivation, despair, pain and distress. And regret...  
He had seen him as he held and consoled his wife, fighting his own tears and struggling for his voice to stay steady... and loosing...

They had gotten better over the years but never again had they been the same again.

But the worst was, Albus thought, that this had not been the only occurrence of this sort.  
Mere years prior to this another young family, the Potters, had been destroyed by the hands of a madman. The sole pacification being that it was the last thing he would ever do.  
But it did not make up for the pain; nothing ever did, and so they too never returned to the way they were before.

Another sob of the younger woman beside him threw Albus from his thoughts.

Ah, yes. Poppy, then too many years younger, had also been affected by the tragedy.  
She, as one of the few trusted healers, had been the only option for the Malfoys to examine their son truthfully and entirely so even the littlest indication towards the culprit's identity would be found. Young Draco had presumably not been his first victim and they finally wanted him to be found… wanted him to pay...

It was understandable and Dumbledoor approved of the choice but it had still been hard for the woman. She had seen it all, in every detail, had seen the whole extend of the damage.  
And the knowledge of what the reason for those wounds must have been...  
The fact that it was a young boy she was looking at, a young boy this had happened to made it all the worse for the young woman.

And so Albus Dumbledoor sat next to the healer, soothing her with words and his hand that held her own as she battled her memories...

"That hair...", she sniffed, "So much like _him_..."

The headmaster continued his soft murmurs, hoping to calm her.

"Oh, Albus, what are we going to tell _them_...?"

That, indeed, was a good question.  
How would they react if Mme Pomfrey was already that shaken up.  
They had been - no, they were his parents, their emotional ties ran way deeper and they had seen him, they had found him...

Their reaction to these news was unpredictable but it was sure to be emotional...

* * *

**Please, please review!**

**If not I'll lessen my updates or stop completely...**


	6. Chapter V: Mourning

**Hey, people!**

**Long time no see, hehe...**

**I'm so sorry but here is my list of excuses (and they're all true!):**

**1. laptop died on me; took a while to get it running again**

**2. school became a bitch**

**3. laptop died again. **

**4. summer holidays: I not have any free time because I got my driving license (which is really hard work here in Germany and f***ing expensive too!). **

**5. School work = bitch!**

**6. Autumn holidays: weather was great! 30°C (°F) in October! So I was outside all the time**

**7. freaking exams started up again!: Only thing I've been doing is sleep, eat and study!  
Well, more or less: I haven't slept well or enough for 3 weeks and I have had to force sth down my throat for the last week because I actually made myself sick!  
I was only able to update now because I'm staying home from school; otherwise I would have only written it in my christmas holydays.**

**Alright, now that I've ranted enough, ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

**A n o t h e r T i m e  
**

**Chapter 5: Mourning**

* * *

Draco was furious.

He stormed up to his rooms, not caring that he could be seen. Though later, as he had reached his destination and had fallen across his bed, he was quite glad that no one had been wandering the halls at the time.

Up until now only two people knew of the situation he found himself in, two people that were old enough to discern the delicacy of the situation and had enough sense to act accordingly.  
But teenagers were another story altogether. Draco was more then sure that if one of them had seen even a hint of him the whole school would be aware of that within minutes and would be positively swimming with rumours.

And he did now know what he would have done then, Merlin, he did not even know what he should do now...

For endless minutes the blonde lay there, on the bed, on top of the covers and stared out of the big window that was situated to the right of it. From his room, halfway up one of Hogwarts' many towers, he had a perfect view of a great part of the lands; the lake with the colourful reflection of the purple going on black sky and the pink rimmed clouds, the path that lead to Hogsmead and Hagrid's hut next to it, that was already so far away that it could only be seen as a dark spot. And even further behind that loomed the dark green shadow of the Forbidden Forest.

Gradually the shapes became smudged, colours blurred together and Draco could feel the tell tale burning in his eyes.

Yes, sleep deprivation certainly took a toll on his body:  
Controlling his emotions seemed harder then ever, every little incident came suddenly that much closer to being his personal apocalypse and it all added up until he could no longer hold it in.  
Every little thing was so frustrating and seemed so very hopeless that Draco only wished to curl up and never get out of bed ever again.  
And now it had all become to much; emotions and tears finally flowing over.

But who could blame him after all that had happened...

Slowly and more then a little clumsy and awkward the blond tugged on the blanked he lay on until it finally came free, proceeded to pull it over his head and wrap himself completely up in it.  
For a moment everything was still and silent apart from the occasional sniffing that came from the lump on the bed.

Then, quite sudden, the distressed boy flipped back one edge of the rustling sheets so his eyes and nose were again uncovered.  
As much as he loved the dark that made promises of a relieving oblivion, never to be kept...  
There was a nagging in the back of his mind, the same one that kept him awake at night.

The forest.

Draco could not help but continue watching it in hopes of maybe catching sight of a figure stumbling out - much the same way he himself had done some days previously.

And so he sat and watched...  
Hoped and waited...  
Everyday...

And like so often Draco forgot time as memories washed over him.

It was early the next morning, even before breakfast that Albus Dumbledoor made his way to the rooms that belonged to the Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher.  
His robes were not quite as bright and sparkly as usual and the jolly spring in his step, that set him apart from all the other old coots in the world, was missing.  
Even more worrisome, had one bothered to look, was the absence of the cheerful twinkle in those wise, deep pools of blue behind the half-moon-spectacles.

All night he had sat up, not able to find peace for just a second, and calmed his mind and heart with the occasional lemon drop.  
He had always been fond of the sweets not only for their taste, which was quite formidable as well, but for the fact that they always were able to calm him down and help him think.

He could still remember the first one he ever tasted:  
He had still been in school then...  
He could still feel the frustration and panic.  
The end of term and with it the OWLs were approaching fast, more so then he would have liked.

It had been the first time that he had actually talked to Gellert Grindelwald, who at that time had been a seventh year, instead of only glancing at him in passing.

**_**In the dead of night 15-year-old Albus had sneaked into the library.  
OWLs were only two days away and his panic was doubling every day. _**

**_Nights had become dreaded, because every night the voices of his insecurities became unbearably loud in the silent dorm room._**

**_He was so tired – no time to eat, no time to sleep – until that night:_**

**_An older prefect suddenly stood on the other side of the table and Albus' heart jumped, thinking of the possibility that the punishment could infer with his studying._**

**_But the prefect simply sat down and talked to the younger boy about unimportant things. He told him about himself and, as the other seemed to have relaxed enough, finally asked him about his study habits._**

**_Albus looked down and stayed silent._**

**_Gellert too was quiet for a moment._**

**"_I know what your going through. I-"_**

**"_You know nothing! You aren't stressed at all and your fake pity doesn't help!"  
Albus' head had snapped up and his eyes fixated the other with a burning glare._**

**_They both were quiet for a minute before Gellert let out a soft laugh, that was soon followed by another as he saw Albus' disbelieving look._  
"_I do know the pressure exams can put on you. I simply have found something to help me deal with it," the older student said before leaning back in his seat and fishing for something in his pockets.  
He grabbed Albus' hand, put whatever he held in his own in it and closed his fingers around it._**

**"_You should try them; they are really great and maybe they'll help you, too."  
With that the Slytherin smiled at him again, stood up and left._**

**_In that moment he had found love; for the sweets that the boy had placed in his hand and for the boy himself, who had helped him even though he had not needed to. **_**

Albus lips curved into a soft smile at the memory but it vanished quickly as he arrived at the door that lead to the rooms of the Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher.

Hesitantly and with a frown marring his face the old headmaster raised a hand to knock on the door.  
He waited only a short while before a voice invited him to come in.

A pale man sat on a dark armchair close to the lit fire. He was still dressed in his sleep clothes and his usually neatly combed long, blond hair rested messily on his shoulders.  
A thick book lay on his knees, one hand making sure the current page stayed open while the other was lifting a cup on tea to the man's lips.

Albus regretted having to disturbed the poor man so early in the morning but there simply was no other time to do so.  
"Albus, what brings you here this morning," asked a smooth voice.

Once more Albus thought of the possible reactions of the man before him to the news he was about to tell him.  
But the was no other way; he had to know.

So Dumbledoor took another deep breath before he brought his eyes up to meet those of one Lucius Malfoy.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Lucius, but there is something I need to talk to you about..."

It had been a long and troublesome explanation.

Somewhere along the way Lucius had exchanged his Earl Grey for Firewiskey which he had almost completely drained by the time the headmaster had finished his tale.

It was silent now.  
It had been silent for almost an hour.

But Dumbledoor was a patient man and knew very well that this situation was more then hard on the poor man seated across from him.  
The blond sat staring at his own hands, the same way he had been for almost an hour now.  
They had long since missed breakfast and even the first lesson for the day was slowly but surely coming to an end.

"I'm sorry Albus but I need some time to myself to think about everything...," Lucius said with a quiet and hoarse voice, his eyes still cast downward.

It was clear to Albus that the usually strong man before him was close to tears.  
And he understood him completely.

So he slowly rose to his feet again and made his way to the door.

* * *

**So, what do you think?  
I know it's going rather slowly but there'll be some action/romance soon enough...**

**I read somewhere that Grindelwald went to Durmstrang, but what the hell, this is my story so fuck of...**

**PS: THERE'LL BE A ONE SHOT FOR ALBUS/GELLERT SOON!  
**

**I'll try to update in Christmas holidays, so roughly in 2 weeks...  
Ja ne :3**


	7. Chapter VI: Nighttime Visitor

**Hi!**

**I'm so sorry for not updating but I was just soo busy: exam after exam and a freaking huge term paper, too.  
And then there are all those story ideas in my head and I can't focus on one -.-*  
Anyway, just so you know I'll NEVER give up any story! unless I explicitly say so... which is unlikely  
**

**Now! To the story!  
**

**Enjoy :3  
**

* * *

**A n o t h e r T i m e**

**Chapter 6: Night-time Visitor**

* * *

Four days had passed since the students had seen the DADA-teacher; four days since Lucius Malfoy had hidden himself in his personal rooms at Hogwarts.

His faithful companion over those days was a self-refilling bottle of fire whiskey that stayed by his side night and day as he sat in an armchair by the fireplace.

Now and again Severus Snape, one of his closest friends, would come knocking on his door, unrelenting, until finally he would be let in.

Even though both men had quite the way with word, they certainly were not the type to freely speak about their feelings and so they simply sat in silence.

Though not a single word was exchanged, Lucius was quite glad Severus stayed with him night after night. The strong presence alone kept him from drowning in his own misery and slowly normalcy and calm returned to his chaotic mind.

* * *

Four days had passed since the incident at the infirmary had occurred, four days since Draco Malfoy had hidden and locked himself in his rooms.

The first two days he had only left the bed once or twice as his bladder had threatened to burst, otherwise he had remained rolled up under the blankets, dreaming of the past in his half awake, half asleep state.

Too often had he dreamed that all this was not real, that Harry was right there only to wake up to a cold and lonely room and bed.

Every morning his heart broke anew and the tears seemed to taste even more bitter.

But he could not cave under the strain, no matter how much he actually wanted to. No, he could not, Harry would not approve him even thinking about it.

And thus he spend his time remembering all the good times he had had; no one could ever take them away, they were a part of him.

**_** The wind was biting, cold against his skin. _**

**_Autumn really began quite harsh this year._**

**_His nose and cheeks had already taken on a pink tinge as he reached the Quidditch stands. Below them the harsh wind could not reach them as easily, though it was still cold._**

**_They had chosen the stands to meet exactly for that reason:_**

**_While they would be mainly sheltered, the weather prevented any other students – even the Quidditch-fanatics – from wandering around and discovering them._**

**_They did not want it to be know; it was supposed to be only between them, exclusively for them. And they did not want to put any strain on their fresh relationship by rumours and other obstacles that were common in a school._**

**_His train of thought was broken as another figure entered the stands._**

**_A second later a pair of warm lips had found his own. The kiss started out passionately, hands pulling each other closer, and soon Draco found himself being backed into a wall._**

**_The other body, just a few inches taller, pressed against him as their kiss slowed._**

**_A forehead, marred by a scar in form of a lightning bolt, leant against his own._**

**"_Hi," whispered a deep voice, breath warm against his lips._**

**"_Hi,"he replied just as low._**

**_They remained like that for almost an hour, cold completely forgotten as they kept each other warm.**_**

* * *

Albus Dumbledoor was becoming a bit worried.

He could, of course, understand that poor Lucius was not up to teaching class after class of curious teenagers. No only would those kids – true to their nature – ask question after question, but the boys would remind him of his own boy and thus of his current situation.

No, it was probably better Lucius did not teach.

This, however, left him with no fitting substitute for the position of the DADA-professor.

So the white-haired headmaster spend whole days in his office trying to find someone to take the place of a teacher.

And finally, after four days in his office and the destruction of more than twelve-hundred lemon drops, he was able to celebrate his success – by eating even more of the sweets.

* * *

Having lost Harry hurt the most but he was not the only thing Draco missed.

In fact, he really wished for his mother right now.

In situations like these, when Draco felt like hiding from the whole world, Narcissa had sat silently on the side of his bed petting his hair. She did not asked him what bothered him, she did not speak at all but instead hummed softly.

Every time one of them was upset, they would shoo the house-elves out of the kitchen and take over it.

What not many people knew (because it could be seen as a weakness) was that the Malfoys in general had a great sweet tooth. French sweets was something that made everyone feel better and the distraction of the diverse problems in the time they used to make them by hand was another plus. And thus, everytime one of them was upset, Narcissa and Draco would spend almost the whole day in the kitchen baking, only to drop down on a couch or bed in the evening covered in flour, smiles on their faces and unable to do much more than simply lie there because of their sugar-filled stomachs.

For Draco this would be a very welcome distraction.

But his mother was not here; she did not know he was hurting, did not know he was there at all.

But still baking sounded like a great idea to him and his food-deprived, sugar-craving belly.

* * *

Not even ten minutes later Draco Malfoy found himself in front of a painting, tickling a pear.

It was night already, so he had not needed to watch out for students, not that he cared if they would have seen him, the only thing he cared about right now was sweet, fluffy, oh so delicious and would certainly be able to take his mind of the green eyes that haunted him.

* * *

Breakfast was a loud affair.

Usually it was way to early for the students to even feign wakefulness, but today everyone was alert and attentive.

One reason for that was the incredibly extensive assortment of sweets and pastries that filled the large house tables.

While Hogwart's food usually felt nothing to be desired, the faculty (with the exception of headmaster Dumbledoor himself) was very adamant about giving their students a healthy and well-balanced meal. Therefore sugar was reduced to a minimum.

Today, however, the tables were basically filled, _over_-filled with heavenly substance, resulting in overjoyed, hyper students and a great number of stomach-aches.

But the euphoric conversations were not only the result of the sugar-highs.

It was the rumours that had the whole school talking and gossiping like there was no tomorrow:

Apparently there was a new boy in school that nobody seemed to know. And not only that: said boy apparently had great resemblance to their very own DADA-professor, whose absence only confirmed that there was in deed a connection.

He had been roaming the castle at night without a care, all pale and sunken in. It was obvious that it was a ghost haunting the school...

No, no, he had been completely solid so he could not be a ghost. He had just escaped the dungeons, apparently he had been down there for years. The Slytherins knew it, often they had heard him wailing... The yellowing bruises proved it...

It was one of the vanishing broom closets, not the dungeons. It was a prank gone wrong, he has been missing for years...

No, someone had heard from someone that somebody had said that he is a ghost and died in there...

…

* * *

Draco awoke to the last dying rays of sunshine.

The whole day he had slept, completely missing the uproar the school found itself in.

He had eaten well the night before, not healthily but enough, and after the much needed rest he now felt better than he had in weeks.

He sat there for a while, on top of the covers of his bed, facing the window and contemplated further actions.

They knew now, it would not be long until they started demanding answers.

But could he answer them?

No, it was all too fresh, too raw. He had lost so much, he had lost everything...

_Harry.  
I miss you...  
Why aren't you here with me?  
Please, Harry... I need you..._

The blond still watched from the window, hoping against reason that the other had somehow followed him and would now finally show himself; stumbling out of the dark forest just like he had done weeks previously.

But with the time his hope had dimmed and a cold had settled into his chest.

Tempting arms of blissful resignation reached for him.

Oh, how he wanted to give in, to rid himself of this ache, even if it meant giving up hope, giving up his only love, giving up Harry...

No, he would never forget him, Harry did not deserve that, not after everything he had done for him...

And then, in the early hours of morning, – it could not have been more unexpected – a tiny glimmer of hope finally decided to let itself be seen:

A figure, obscured by night's shadows, left the deep darkness of the Forbidden Forest.

* * *

**I hope you liked it.**

**Yes? No? Maybe?  
**

**Just write a review, please, and tell me?  
**

**Please? Pretty, pretty please?  
**


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